This is a blog about epilepsy. I have lived with seizures for 25 years now and I want to share my experiences to allow others with epilepsy a chance to compare their experiences to mine and to allow those without epilepsy to understand further the condition and how it effects one. I had the VNS device implanted 4 years ago and have posted on that extensively. Please feel free to comment and I will try to respond.

Friday, February 24, 2006

Settings adjusted. Increased buzzing...

I got the VNS turned up. It is now sending a charge of 0.75 mAmps for 30 seconds every 1 minute and 40 seconds. It feels pretty strong when it goes off... kinda like a big honey bee in my throat. This feeling along with a 5 second feeling of throat constriction each time it activates. So far it is more noticeable than my last setting, but that is to be expected. Hopefully I will adjust to this setting soon. They upped my magnet settings as well. When I activate it with the magnet, it feels like a hornet on steroids buzzing in my throat... but, it is shocking, but tolerable.

As this new setting is pretty noticeable, I hope it does not cause any sleep problems. Some people report insomnia or sleep apnea side effects resulting from the VNS.

1 comment:

Sorry this is uncomfortable. Sure hope it is worth it. Perhaps drinking a sip of water or pop frequently for a while will convince your brain that you are taking care of the feelings in your throat and help your brain get more quickly to ignoring them.

A study was done where people were given glasses that turned everything upside down. Within a week or less their eyes learned to flip the images. at the end when they took off the glasses everything was now upside down. But quickly their brain reprogramed to the new situation and righted everything. The brain is what tells up what we feel and can learn to ignore or even change the interpretation of input.

Hope you are telling the Dr of all your experiences - they may have some tricks to help you adjust.

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What is Epilepsy

Epilepsy is a disorder characterized by recurring seizures, which are disturbances in the electrical activity in the brain. Seizure types range from a momentary disruption of senses to a loss of consciousness and violent movements that can last for minutes. There is no single cause for epilepsy; however epilepsy can sometimes be associated with an illness, head injury, or abnormal brain development. It is estimated that 1-2% of the population has epilepsy, and of those, approximately two-thirds respond well to medical treatment.